Bungalow

boisebungalow.com
1520 N 13th Street


Time: 3-7 and 9-1 daily
Special: $6 martinis; $1 off other drinks; 2 for 1 appetizers.
Rating: 3 martinis
Smoking: outside
Other mentions: outside seating, bike racks, full menu, full bar

Bungalow sits in a prime location in the center of Hyde Park in the North end of Boise. Surprisingly, the building has been home to several bars and restaurants in my 15 years of Boise. I’m not even sure I ever had a chance to patron its last resident. Hopefully Bungalow can withstand the necessary turbulence of this economy and hold ground longer.

My friends and I only visited the lounge during this visit so I can not attest to the restaurant area but if it is anything like the lounge, it is tastefully decorated and not overly pretentious. While it appears to be too upscale for many, the variety of patrons during our visit gave the feeling of just another great neighborhood bar. Not sure if that is what the owners are after, but it certainly seems to work.

My friends and I all ordered a variety of items for our enjoyment. The deals I found to be the best: the 2 for 1 appetizers and $6 any martinis. Seriously, any martini....even Grey Goose with a twist. I have ordered similar around town for upwards of $12. The beers came in at around $3 during happy hour and they have some tasty handles, including Widmer’s seasonal Brrrr.

There were four of us this visit so we ordered four appetizers. The meat and cheese plate ($12), the pizza of the day ($10), the wings ($8), and the Brie ($10). All the food was excellent and very filling.

The only real complaint we had was with our service. Sometimes it was good but sometimes it was non-existent. We had to flag down our server several times and it was sort of awkward. There were only five tables that evening with two servers and the bartender was handling those at the bar, so it wasn’t very busy. When the bill arrived, it was incorrect and missing a couple of the happy hour discounts.

Mostly, we were very pleased with their happy hour and are sure to return for the martinis and appetizers.